Our society is built on getting things done. Productive action is an important ingredient to our success. The “To-Do List” is a staple of our productivity society.

We make these lists to remind us of the tasks we need to complete in a day, a week, or some other time period. Some people use them as a guide, while others meticulously check off each task as it is completed.

The super-organized among us are probably already creating their 2019 To-Do Lists. Nearly all of us are thinking about the things we “have to get done” in the next year.

Numerous motivational speakers and spiritual teachers have commented that we are human “beings” not human “doings”. This is commentary on our propensity to focus on the doing at the expense of the being.

Their goal is to remind us that we are here as surely TO BE as we are to do. They are suggesting an imbalance in our lives between doing and being. With our fast-paced, modern, rush, rush, rush society; who can argue?

The extreme answer to reducing your “doingness” is to sell your possessions and go live as a monk on a mountain top somewhere. You could then spend your entire life just being. That’s not a realistic or even appealing option for most of us.

So, how do you find a beingness/doingness balance in your life? How do you keep yourself reminded to “just be” or to become who you want TO BE?

Create a To-Be List. I know, I know, I see the paradox in suggesting a doing to improve your ability to be. Life is full of paradoxes.

Your To-Be List has two aspects:

1. Planned Beingness – these times can go right on your calendar along with your to-dos. They are planned times in your day or week where you plan to just be. Just being can mean meditating, sitting quietly, or brainstorming…you get to define what it means for you. There are just two rules. This time must be time away from your To-Do List activites. You’re not doing any of them or thinking about them. PLANNED BEINGNESS IS YOU TIME. Place this in your daily To-Do List or on your calendar. Plan your beingness.
2. Visionary Beingness– answers the question, “Who do I want TO BE a year from now?” A To-Do List enumerates the tasks you want to get done in the next year. Your To-Be List can enumerate the characteristics you want TO BE in the next year. These can be self-development goals, career goals, or personal characteristics. This is your list of things TO BE in the coming year. It’s an organized way to spell out who you want TO BE the same way you list what you need to do. Examples include the following.
   • By ______, I will BE less judgmental than I am now.
   • By ______, I will BE more courageous in following my dreams than I am now.
   • By ______, I will BE in a managerial role.
   • By ______, I will BE more at peace than I am today.
   • By ______, I will BE a more accomplished writer.
   • By ______, I will BE a more effective business owner.

Tips for Success:

• Make your To-Be List as important as your To-Do List.
• Use existing tools like your current electronic calendar or hard copy planner to create your To-Be List right along side your To-Do List.
• Make it part of your routine.
• Spend time each day reviewing your To-Be List just as you do your To-Do List.

By making time TO BE, you will experience greater peace and contentment. By envisioning who you want TO BE, you are focusing your mind and your efforts to create the circumstances, opportunities, and intention to make it so. Create an expectation that you will complete your T0-Be List the same way you complete your To-Do List and you will!

Let me take this opportunity to say thank you for reading this blog. I know your time is valuable and I am really working to bring you the best blog possible – one that adds real value to your life each day. Your readership makes it all worth it.

Please let me know what I can do to make it more empowering, thought-provoking, or meaningful for you. I do read every comment and email. If this blog is adding value to your life, please tell at least one friend about it! Thank you for your support.

Follow your bliss! Experience your bliss! Become your bliss!

Ray

Ray Davis is the Founder of The Affirmation Spot and focuses on empowering minds to think positively, achieve goals, and live dreams.

Ray’s speculative fiction novel, Anunnaki Awakening: Revelation, is turning heads. Where did humanity really come from and where is it going? This is Book 1 of a trilogy. The Awakening has begun!